2023-11-30 09:02:26
Published30. November 2023, 10:02
OSCE meeting boycotted: Russia’s presence “despite the intrigues of enemies”
Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic countries decided to boycott the meeting, because of the presence of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The United States was represented on Wednesday at the OSCE by the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.
AFP
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) meets from Thursday in North Macedonia, in the notable absence of the foreign ministers of Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic countries, who protest once morest the presence of the head of Russian diplomacy.
This forum for dialogue between East and West is going through the most serious crisis since its creation 48 years ago, paralyzed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is scheduled to address the Council at 10:00 a.m. (Swiss time).
“Unacceptable” presence
His Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian counterparts believe that Lavrov’s presence “risks legitimizing the aggressor that is Russia as a full member of our community of free nations.” kyiv denounced the presence of “a state which has unleashed the greatest armed aggression in Europe since the end of the Second World War”.
A presence deemed “unacceptable” by Warsaw, which refused in 2022 to allow the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs to participate in the OSCE meeting it was hosting, sparking protests from Moscow. Sergei Lavrov arrived in North Macedonia “despite the intrigues of the enemies”, reacted on Telegram, the spokesperson for Russian diplomacy, Maria Zakharova.
The opportunity to understand why Russia is isolated
Bulgaria, which first authorized Lavrov – targeted by Western sanctions for the conflict in Ukraine – to fly over its airspace, then revoked this authorization due to the presence in his plane of Zakharova, also sanctioned and banned from flying. entry into the European Union, according to the same source.
Lavrov’s plane eventually arrived in North Macedonia via Greek airspace, according to Russian news agencies. The decision to “authorize [Sergueï] Lavrov’s participation is in line with our common objective of keeping multilateralism alive,” said the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, on Wednesday evening.
Lavrov “needs to hear from everyone, once more, why Russia is doomed and isolated. He will then be able to report to the master of the Kremlin that the European Union and the OSCE remain united in deploring Russia’s aggressive and illegal behavior,” he added.
Presence of the United States and France
The United States, represented on Wednesday at the OSCE by the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, who went to Israel on Thursday to try to obtain an extension of the truce in Gaza, also staunchly supports this European forum. installed in the Habsburg imperial palace.
The OSCE almost found itself without a presidency in 2024 – and therefore without a budget. Malta agreed at the last minute to take the presidency in place of Estonia, Moscow not wanting to hear regarding a NATO member in this strategic position. This should be endorsed in Skopje.
(AFP)
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